Traditionally, music has been provided to listeners by either a broadcast method or a purchase method. According to the broadcast method, music is broadcast to listeners by such means as radio and cable systems. The owners of the music are typically compensated by the broadcaster via either the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). These two agencies monitor the playing of music by broadcasters, collect royalties from the broadcasters, and distribute the royalties to the copyright owners of the music.
However, according to the broadcast method the listener has little or no control over which selections are played. Generally, a listener must tune in to a radio station or select a cable channel that plays the type of music that the listener enjoys with the expectation that songs that the listener enjoys will occasionally be played. Too frequently, these songs are not played as often as the listener would prefer.
According to the purchase method, a listener purchases prerecorded music stored on media such as compact discs (CDs). The listener may then play the songs as many times as desired. Copyright owners are paid royalties out of the purchase price of the music.
However, the purchase method requires that a substantial price be paid for the music, at least in part because of the virtually unlimited use associated therewith. Listeners appear to be becoming less willing to pay the purchase price for such prerecorded music, particularly as alternative methods for obtaining music become more popular.
The purchase method suffers from the additional disadvantage of requiring that media containing the desired songs be utilized. Such media is somewhat bulky, particularly when a large number of selections are desired. In some instances, it may not be practical to carry all of the songs desired because of the volume and/or weight of the media required. Such media is also undesirably subject to degradation due to use and mishandling. For example, scratches on a CD may inhibit its use.
A newer method of providing music to listeners is becoming increasingly popular. It is this method of providing music that is apparently making listeners less willing to pay the purchase price for music that is prerecorded on media. According to this newer method of providing music, the music is downloaded from the Internet or otherwise obtained (such as by trading with friends), as a data file. One popular example of such a data file is an MP3 file. MP3 is short for Moving Picture Experts Group 1, audio layer 3.
Although music embodied in data files can be obtained legitimately, such as via such services like iTunes (a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.), the opportunity to download or trade music data files for free has heretofore hampered this legitimate method of obtaining music.
As such, although the prior art has recognized, to a limited extent, the problem of distributing music, the proposed solutions have, to date, been ineffective in providing a satisfactory remedy. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method for distributing music that is convenient, does not involve the use of media, and which provides for the payment of royalties.